[Congressional Record Volume 143, Number 68 (Wednesday, May 21, 1997)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E991-E992]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                     IN HONOR OF DR. AARON E. HENRY

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BENNIE G. THOMPSON

                             of mississippi

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, May 20, 1997

  Mr. THOMPSON. Mr. Speaker, Dr. Aaron E. Henry, a fellow 
Mississippian, and civil rights pioneer died Monday morning, May 19, 
1997, of complications resulting from a stroke, following a 5-month 
illness. Dr. Henry was a mentor, a humanitarian, a scholar, and a great 
human being. I would like to share with you the following information 
about the life of a man who helped to forge the shape of society in 
this country for all African-Americans.
  Dr. Henry was born in Clarksdale, MS, July 2, 1921, to the late 
Joseph and Elizabeth Henry Jackson. He was the youngest of five 
children. His natural parents died when he was very young and his 
formative years were spent under the nurturing support of his maternal 
uncle and aunt, Edd Henry and Mattie Logan Henry. He was an active 
member of Haven United Methodist Church, serving as lay leader, and a 
member of the United Methodist Men.
  He attended public schools on Coahoma County, graduating from Coahoma 
Agricultural High School. He entered the U.S. Army as a private in 1943 
and was honorably discharged as a Staff Sergeant in 1946. Following his 
discharge, Dr. Henry attended Xavier University in New Orleans. After 
receiving a degree in pharmacy in 1950, he returned to Clarksdale and 
opened the Fourth Street Drug Store. His career as a civil rights 
activist began soon thereafter.
  On June 11, 1950, he married the lovely Noelle Celestine Michael of 
Jackson. To this union one daughter, Rebecca Elizabeth, was born.
  In 1953, Dr. Henry organized the Coahoma County Branch of the NAACP 
and served as the State NAACP president from 1960 until 1993. He worked 
with all five of the field directors of the Mississippi State 
Conference of the NAACP, including the late Medger Evers. In an effort 
to assure equal representation for all Mississippians, he chaired the 
Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party that successfully challenged the 
established State Democratic Party during the 1968 Democratic 
Convention in Atlantic City, NJ. This effort led to the creation of the 
integrated Democratic Party in Mississippi. Dr. Henry participated in 
the Freedom Rider Movement and in the Mississippi Freedom Summer's 
nonviolent campaigns of public protest which led to the eventual 
passage of the Public Accommodations sections of the Civil Rights Act 
of 1964.
  On the national level, Dr. Henry was instrumental in securing 
congressional support for passage of the Office of Economic Opportunity 
Act. Several programs, including Head Start and Job Corps, grew out of 
this act to provide services to improve the quality of life for all 
citizens. Dr. Henry's quest for equality and fair treatment was evident 
in his commitment to securing Job Corps and Head Start Programs for 
Mississippians. He believed in the need for Job Corps' existence and in 
the young people it would serve. He worked with former Gov. Cliff Finch 
to bring the first Job Corps Center in Mississippi located in Crystal 
Springs, MS. Dr. Henry recognized that the benefits of the program 
would mean job opportunities for the State's poor and underserved young 
people. He not only was a pioneer in the State for Job Corps and Head 
Start, but for many programs that impacted the quality of life for all 
Mississippians.
  In a fitting tribute to his years as a civil rights leader, Dr. Henry 
was elected by the citizens of District 26 in Coahoma County to the 
Mississippi House of Representatives in 1979 and reelected in 1983 and 
1987. He was an active member of the Mississippi Legislative Black 
Caucus.
  Dr. Henry has served on the board of director of a number of 
organizations including the national NAACP where he served as vice 
president and as a member of its executive committee; chairman of the 
National Caucus for the Black Aged since 1972; member of the Federal 
Council on Aging since 1977; the Southern Christian Leadership 
Conference; the Southern Regional Council and the Mississippi Council 
on Human Relations. Dr. Henry was chairman of the board and primary 
stockholder in Civic Communications Corp., the holding company for 
WLBT-TV-3, Inc., the minority-owned NBC affiliate in Jackson, MS; KLTV 
in Tyler, TX; KTRE in Lufkin, TX; and WLBM in Meridian, MS. He was 
chairman of the board of directors for MINACT, Inc., a management and 
training firm in Jackson operating Job Corps centers throughout the 
Nation.
  His commitment to community, educational and civic issues propelled 
him into the forefront of the American Legion, Elks, Masons, Veterans 
of Foreign Wars, and Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. He was recognized for 
his outstanding academic achievements through honorary degrees from 
Tougaloo College, Rust College, Mary Holmes College, Prentiss 
Institute, Queens College, and Boston University. Professionally, he 
was recognized by the American Pharmaceutical Association with the 
Hubert H. Humphrey Award.
  Dr. Henry lived an active and committed life. He leaves to cherish 
memory a daughter, Rebecca Elizabeth of Clarksdale; grandsons, Aaron 
and Demon of Clarksdale; a sister, Thelma Henry Johnson of St. Louis, 
MO, and many supporters of justice and equality throughout this Nation.

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